Energy and Jobs

Key global findings:

• 16.2 million: global renewable energy jobs in 2023, up from 13.7 million in 2022. China alone has 7.4 million jobs, or 45% of the global total. The European Union (EU) has 1.8 million jobs, Brazil 1.6 million, and the United States and India each slightly more than 1 million.
• 7.1 million: solar photovoltaic (PV) jobs in 2023, representing 44% of the world’s total renewable energy workforce. China dominates with 4.6 million jobs, while the EU is a distant second with 720 000 jobs.
• 2.3 million: direct jobs in hydropower in 2023, down 4% from 2022, reflecting a slower pace in new additions.
• 2.8 million: biofuels jobs in 2023. The bulk is in the agricultural supply chain, including seasonal and part-time work. Brazil has the largest number of jobs, 994 000, followed by Indonesia, at 646 700.
• 1.5 million: wind power jobs in 2023. China leads with 745 000 jobs, while second-ranked Europe – still a technology leader – has some 316 300 jobs.

Key messages in the latest edition:

• The dominant role of China. China holds a widening lead in the deployment of renewables and dominates equipment manufacturing. Other countries, such as the United States, India, Brazil and members of the EU, are important installers, and they seek to build or rebuild domestic supply chains to support greater domestic value creation.
• Skills. A skilled workforce is essential for a successful energy transition and of particular significance for young people. Education and training do more than make individuals more employable. Skills development and lifelong learning are strategic imperatives for meeting climate objectives and ensuring a just transition.
• Diversity. Women could play a pivotal role in the scale-up renewables, especially off-grid technologies. The expansion of these technologies – for example, solar PV systems, which support entrepreneurship, especially in underserved and remote areas – can help women find employment and earn an income. Beyond gender, very little information is available for most countries on indicators of workforce diversity.
• A people- and planet-centred energy transition. The global transition to clean energy is shaped by a multitude of public policies and private sector activities that, together with civil society actions, must seek to balance environmental, economic and social sustainability. While markets can be helpful in driving technological change, the global common good is not their primary motivation; indeed, there are trade-offs between the pursuit of profits and the objective of a just and inclusive energy transition that provides widely shared benefits.

Achieving the energy transition in a manner consistent with climate stability requires much faster renewables deployment, in turn creating more jobs. But it also demands broader, systemic change – moving beyond the pursuit of endless economic growth incompatible with planetary limits. These changes can only be brought about through the adoption of a comprehensive and holistic policy framework. It must be guided by an understanding that the energy sector is essential to all human activity across the economy, but also that the economy must serve human well-being, and that all societies depend on the integrity of the planet’s ecosystems.